Tandem IVF Cycle (IVF Using Own Eggs and Donor’s Eggs Simultaneously)

What is Tandem IVF Cycle? 

Tandem Cycle (IVF using own eggs and donor’s eggs simultaneously) also called a Donor egg back–up is an IVF cycle that allows women with diminished ovarian reserve or producing a few oocytes to undergo IVF using their own eggs, while simultaneously having a back–up egg reserves from the egg donors. The Tandem IVF Cycle involves using two sets of oocytes to create two cohorts of embryos — the woman’s eggs and the donor’s eggs.  

At the end of the Tandem IVF Cycle process, the embryo created using the woman’s eggs or the donor’s eggs will be transferred. In some cases, both embryos generated using the woman’s eggs and the donor’s eggs can be transferred at the same time. The oocytes and embryos left after the Tandem IVF Cycle can be vitrified for future use in FET cycle(s). 

Who is it for? 

• Single women producing viable oocytes but having a diminished ovarian reserve. 
• Heterosexual couples with female factor infertility (irregular ovulation, poor ovarian reserve, low ovarian response to stimulation, and poor egg quality).  

When to try Tandem IVF Cycle? 

• If you are having diminished ovarian reserve and poor egg quality which may result in low fertilization rates.
• If you are told that you have a lower ovarian reserve and poor quality eggs after observing via ultrasound.
• If you have hormonal level fluctuations such as elevated follicle–stimulating hormone levels indicating diminished ovarian reserve. 
• If you have been encountering diminished ovarian reserve during the previous IVF cycles or other ovarian induction Treatments (Ovulation Induction, IUI Treatment, single and/or Duo–Stimulation Protocol, and so on). 
• If previous IVF cycle(s) using own eggs resulted in low fertilization rates or/and low–quality embryos or no viable embryos for transfer.
• If you had a low ovarian response to stimulation in previous IVF cycle(s) and Egg Retrieval was canceled or resulted in no viable eggs. 
• If you have a history of failed IVF cycles (recurrent implantation failures, recurrent pregnancy loss).

How long does Tandem IVF Cycle take?

The Tandem IVF Cycle timeline is between 6 and 8 weeks. In some cases, like cycles with traveling egg donor, shipping the donor’s eggs from abroad, having Preimplantation Genetic Testing, or other underlying situations, the timeline can be longer and take up to several months. 

Tandem IVF Cycle Success Rates

The average success rate with Tandem IVF Cycle is around 60 to 85%. In cases with transferring the Blastocyst and having a receptive endometrium, the chances of getting pregnant are around 75 to 88% per cycle.